**Behold, a dream did come to me in the night, and that's where I got the
idea for this fic. It may take me a while to figure everything out, because
I only had part of the dream, and I'm going to have to go on fumes 'till I
get everything worked out and 100% sure. Anyway, only two of the
characters as of now belong to me, and I don't even know their names,
because they were never said. So forgive me if the names are a little
generalized, if I can, I'll pick good ones. Micah, the children, and
Hemmingford, and the city of Detroit don't belong to me, only the events
do. Thanks a ton, happy reading**
Return to Me, Chapter 1
The boy stood in the middle of the clearing, holding his knife close to his body. "The blood of those that defile the corn MUST FLOW INTO THE EARTH! Kneel!" He rose the knife, but not before locking eyes, even for only a second with the girl hidden in the shadows of the clearing. The girl's name was Brooke, and she had just come to live with her cousin, Audra, a 19 year-old medical student who is staying in Hemmingford while she goes to collage.
While walking through the town a few days before, she was captivated by the boy's presence, and wanted to get to know him better. She didn't know who he was, or why she picked this night, but she followed him and the other children into the clearing, making sure they didn't see her, but all the while hoped to get closer to the boy.
Peering through the stalks, Brooke saw a weird light envelop the boy. Gasping she was ready to run away, but wanted to see what would happen. The big tractor started up, and there was now a look of fear on the boy's pale face. He began to scream, and tripped as his long robe was caught on the blades. From her point of view, Brooke could see that there was about 3 feet of space under the harvester before the boy would be chopped to bits.
Making a decision, she pushed her way through the corn, so that's she was right next to the harvester. No one saw her, but she could make out the distinct outline of the boy's legs inching their way farther and farther under the front and closer to the blades. Lying on her stomach, she realized that she was on her own and no one else was there to help her, she knew she only had one shot.
Putting all of her effort into the pull, she tugged as hard as she could as he slipped farther under the blades. Grunting, Brooke managed to pull him from under the machine, and as the boy slipped into her lap, she breathed a sigh of relief. The pair lay there for a few seconds, and the boy, smelling the gasoline, suggested that they move away from the clearing before they got blown up. Nodding, she helped him to his feet, and the two made their way back to town as quickly as they dared, hoping that no one saw them.
About fifty yards away from the harvester, they heard an amazingly loud noise, and both turned around in time to see it go up in a huge ball of flames. Walking more quickly now, they reached the edge of the field. The boy sat down, and Brooke followed suit. Catching their breath, Brooke was surprised to hear that the boy's voice was quiet, and very calm, unlike it was a few minutes before. "Who are you and why did you save me?"
Stunned, Brooke stared at him in surprise before answering. "I'm Brooke. I just got to Hemmingford a few days ago, and I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are either." Looking into his quiet eyes, she was surprised to see him smile. He looked back at her with a huge smile on his face.
"You don't know who I am?" Nodding her head no, he continued. "I'm Micah Balding, and I was the leader of the Children of the Corn." She gasped. "Yup. I'm Micah. But, see that wasn't me. I mean, I believe all of that stuff, about how He Who Walks Behind the Rows is the one true father, but I wasn't myself when I killed all of those people. He possessed me, and it feels good to be me again. Come on. We gotta go before they find us." He pulled her up, and they began to walk back to the houses.
Halfway there, they realized that everyone would be looking for Micah, especially Lacey, Danny, John, and Angela. Making another fast decision, they went to Ruth's house, also where Mordechai had been staying. Micah assured Brooke that this is the last place anyone would think to look for him. She asked why. "It's a hell of a long story, and I'm not in the mood to tell you about Ruth's seduction attempts. Just let's go." Nodding, she entered the dark house.
The twosome made its way up the stairs, and into the spare room. Upon entrance, Micah collapsed onto the bed. Making her way to a chair, Brooke sat down. "Micah, will you tell me about what happened here? I saved you, and you told me what you did. I kinda need to know what I got myself into. " Sighing he looked at her in the dark. Not wanting to talk very loud, he scooted off the edge of the bed and sat on the floor in front of the chair.
"It all started with Isaac. I was ten, and he wasn't much older then me. We lived in Gatlin." Almost four hours later he finished with "an that was when you pulled me out from under the harvester. " Brooke was on the verge of tears. "What's wrong?" She looked at the floor. "Come on tell me. Please?" She looked back up at him.
"It isn't that you haven't convinced me why you believe in He Who Walks Behind the Rows. It isn't that I hate you for killing all of those people, but you did say that the Age of Favor was 19, right?" Micah nods. "Well. my cousin, Audra, was 19. So that means that she's.." The girl broke into tears and couldn't stop them. Micah leaned closer to her and gave her what he hoped was a comforting hug. She kept crying, but couldn't help feeling a little happy. Here she was, crying on a person's shoulder she had only known for four hours. It helped that he was a nice looking person. (AN- Well if that isn't an understatement, than I don't know what is!)
"If she was sacrificed, it isn't like she was taken for no reason. Her blood served or will serve a purpose. I'm not sure anymore what that purpose is, since He left me when I was about to die. I can tell you this- if you are to turn against us now, with what you know, you too will have to be cut down. I don't want this to happen, because I consider you a friend, but you know too much to leave. You're stuck here for a little while. " Looking at her, Micah could see the fear in her eyes, and he decided to put her worries at rest a little bit. "Nothing will happen to you, Brooke, as long as you're with me. If He had something to say about you, He would have already told me. If He mistrusted you, I would know as well. Take comfort in that, all right? I don't wanna see you cry."
Nodding, she curled up onto the chair. He walked back over to the bed, and lay down. They both fell asleep. Brooke didn't sleep well, so that was probably why she heard the door open about an hour and a half later. Opening one eye, with the help of the early morning light seeping in through the window, she saw a girl standing in the doorway with her hand over her mouth. The girl looked at Micah sleeping on the bed as if she was looking at a pile of gold nuggets. Her eyes were as big as dinner plates, and just before she could open her mouth to make a sound, Brooke jumped up.
Surprised, the girl backed farther into the doorway. "Please don't wake him up. He just fell asleep about an hour ago, and he's been through a lot."
"Who are you?" The girl asked in a stage whisper, and Brooke saw Micah's eye crack open. Motioning for the girl to go into the hall, Brooke poked at Micah in a 'Be quiet' type of poke. He obeyed the silent command, and in a minute was left alone in the room. He soon fell back asleep.
"Who in the hell are you to be sleeping in there with *Micah*? Don't you know?" Nodding her head, Brooke assured the girl that she 'didn't know'. "Well, in case you really *don't* know, I'm Ruth, and well, he's Micah." Smothering her giggles by turning them into a hacking cough, Brooke tried to think of something to say to that remark. Besides telling her the truth, she had no idea what to tell this girl. Thinking for a second, she came up with the perfect response, but before she could say it, Ruth had spoken again. "Do you know who saved him? I mean, I tried, and I had his feet and everything, but my hand slipped. I would like to know who did it so that I can thank them for saving him." This was too much for Brooke, and she went off on the girl as quietly as she could.
"Look, Ruth. Micah has been through a lot in the past few hours. He doesn't need you to come into the room at six am, and wake him up by screaming. He needs to sleep. By the way, yes. I DO know who saved him, and I can tell you for a fact that you're lying when you say that you had his foot but slipped." Ruth raised her brows in a way that said 'how would you know?' "How do I know this? Well, Ruth, it just so happens that I'm the one that saved him! You lie so that he'll like you, but let me tell you something. When you lie to someone like Micah, make sure that the lies play out. Make sure that there's no way he can see the truth in them. He deserves better. Now please leave. Come back in about an hour so that we can get up. Micah has expressed a desire to talk to the children in the morning. Do they think he's dead?" Ruth nodded. "Ok, don't tell them otherwise. He wants his return to be a surprise." The blonde girl turned to leave. "Oh, Ruth?" She turned back. "I'm sorry I was rude, but Micah does deserve to be told the truth, don't you agree?" Without an answer, She turned back and began another slow trip down the stairs.
Slipping quietly back into the room, Brooke looked at Micah again. She couldn't get over how young he looked sleeping on the bed with his hair all messy and his face slack. He rolled over so that he was sleeping on his back. Sighing, she realized that she would have no problem looking at that face for hours at a time. Standing up, she walked backwards to the chair, never taking her eyes off of Micah's sleeping form. As she sat down, she sighed again. If what he said were true, even if he liked her, he wouldn't be able to do anything. He Who Walks Behind the Rows had strict rules about dating and relationships. The pair had to be officially joined before anything could happen between them. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep again, not noticing the pair of eyes that watched her from across the room.
As she slept, Micah did his own amount of sighing and thought about many things as well. Brooke had handled Ruth well, and seemed to be a quick study. He didn't know what would become of their friendship, but that wasn't the most important thing to him. He had to focus on the children. Even though he wasn't the leader anymore, he would still be needed and looked up to. Closing his eyes, he thought about the faces of the children the next morning when they saw that he wasn't dead, that he was still alive. The thought he couldn't help, however, was the fact that Brooke's face kept popping up with the children's. He smiled, and fell asleep just as the sun came up over the horizon.
Return to Me, Chapter 1
The boy stood in the middle of the clearing, holding his knife close to his body. "The blood of those that defile the corn MUST FLOW INTO THE EARTH! Kneel!" He rose the knife, but not before locking eyes, even for only a second with the girl hidden in the shadows of the clearing. The girl's name was Brooke, and she had just come to live with her cousin, Audra, a 19 year-old medical student who is staying in Hemmingford while she goes to collage.
While walking through the town a few days before, she was captivated by the boy's presence, and wanted to get to know him better. She didn't know who he was, or why she picked this night, but she followed him and the other children into the clearing, making sure they didn't see her, but all the while hoped to get closer to the boy.
Peering through the stalks, Brooke saw a weird light envelop the boy. Gasping she was ready to run away, but wanted to see what would happen. The big tractor started up, and there was now a look of fear on the boy's pale face. He began to scream, and tripped as his long robe was caught on the blades. From her point of view, Brooke could see that there was about 3 feet of space under the harvester before the boy would be chopped to bits.
Making a decision, she pushed her way through the corn, so that's she was right next to the harvester. No one saw her, but she could make out the distinct outline of the boy's legs inching their way farther and farther under the front and closer to the blades. Lying on her stomach, she realized that she was on her own and no one else was there to help her, she knew she only had one shot.
Putting all of her effort into the pull, she tugged as hard as she could as he slipped farther under the blades. Grunting, Brooke managed to pull him from under the machine, and as the boy slipped into her lap, she breathed a sigh of relief. The pair lay there for a few seconds, and the boy, smelling the gasoline, suggested that they move away from the clearing before they got blown up. Nodding, she helped him to his feet, and the two made their way back to town as quickly as they dared, hoping that no one saw them.
About fifty yards away from the harvester, they heard an amazingly loud noise, and both turned around in time to see it go up in a huge ball of flames. Walking more quickly now, they reached the edge of the field. The boy sat down, and Brooke followed suit. Catching their breath, Brooke was surprised to hear that the boy's voice was quiet, and very calm, unlike it was a few minutes before. "Who are you and why did you save me?"
Stunned, Brooke stared at him in surprise before answering. "I'm Brooke. I just got to Hemmingford a few days ago, and I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are either." Looking into his quiet eyes, she was surprised to see him smile. He looked back at her with a huge smile on his face.
"You don't know who I am?" Nodding her head no, he continued. "I'm Micah Balding, and I was the leader of the Children of the Corn." She gasped. "Yup. I'm Micah. But, see that wasn't me. I mean, I believe all of that stuff, about how He Who Walks Behind the Rows is the one true father, but I wasn't myself when I killed all of those people. He possessed me, and it feels good to be me again. Come on. We gotta go before they find us." He pulled her up, and they began to walk back to the houses.
Halfway there, they realized that everyone would be looking for Micah, especially Lacey, Danny, John, and Angela. Making another fast decision, they went to Ruth's house, also where Mordechai had been staying. Micah assured Brooke that this is the last place anyone would think to look for him. She asked why. "It's a hell of a long story, and I'm not in the mood to tell you about Ruth's seduction attempts. Just let's go." Nodding, she entered the dark house.
The twosome made its way up the stairs, and into the spare room. Upon entrance, Micah collapsed onto the bed. Making her way to a chair, Brooke sat down. "Micah, will you tell me about what happened here? I saved you, and you told me what you did. I kinda need to know what I got myself into. " Sighing he looked at her in the dark. Not wanting to talk very loud, he scooted off the edge of the bed and sat on the floor in front of the chair.
"It all started with Isaac. I was ten, and he wasn't much older then me. We lived in Gatlin." Almost four hours later he finished with "an that was when you pulled me out from under the harvester. " Brooke was on the verge of tears. "What's wrong?" She looked at the floor. "Come on tell me. Please?" She looked back up at him.
"It isn't that you haven't convinced me why you believe in He Who Walks Behind the Rows. It isn't that I hate you for killing all of those people, but you did say that the Age of Favor was 19, right?" Micah nods. "Well. my cousin, Audra, was 19. So that means that she's.." The girl broke into tears and couldn't stop them. Micah leaned closer to her and gave her what he hoped was a comforting hug. She kept crying, but couldn't help feeling a little happy. Here she was, crying on a person's shoulder she had only known for four hours. It helped that he was a nice looking person. (AN- Well if that isn't an understatement, than I don't know what is!)
"If she was sacrificed, it isn't like she was taken for no reason. Her blood served or will serve a purpose. I'm not sure anymore what that purpose is, since He left me when I was about to die. I can tell you this- if you are to turn against us now, with what you know, you too will have to be cut down. I don't want this to happen, because I consider you a friend, but you know too much to leave. You're stuck here for a little while. " Looking at her, Micah could see the fear in her eyes, and he decided to put her worries at rest a little bit. "Nothing will happen to you, Brooke, as long as you're with me. If He had something to say about you, He would have already told me. If He mistrusted you, I would know as well. Take comfort in that, all right? I don't wanna see you cry."
Nodding, she curled up onto the chair. He walked back over to the bed, and lay down. They both fell asleep. Brooke didn't sleep well, so that was probably why she heard the door open about an hour and a half later. Opening one eye, with the help of the early morning light seeping in through the window, she saw a girl standing in the doorway with her hand over her mouth. The girl looked at Micah sleeping on the bed as if she was looking at a pile of gold nuggets. Her eyes were as big as dinner plates, and just before she could open her mouth to make a sound, Brooke jumped up.
Surprised, the girl backed farther into the doorway. "Please don't wake him up. He just fell asleep about an hour ago, and he's been through a lot."
"Who are you?" The girl asked in a stage whisper, and Brooke saw Micah's eye crack open. Motioning for the girl to go into the hall, Brooke poked at Micah in a 'Be quiet' type of poke. He obeyed the silent command, and in a minute was left alone in the room. He soon fell back asleep.
"Who in the hell are you to be sleeping in there with *Micah*? Don't you know?" Nodding her head, Brooke assured the girl that she 'didn't know'. "Well, in case you really *don't* know, I'm Ruth, and well, he's Micah." Smothering her giggles by turning them into a hacking cough, Brooke tried to think of something to say to that remark. Besides telling her the truth, she had no idea what to tell this girl. Thinking for a second, she came up with the perfect response, but before she could say it, Ruth had spoken again. "Do you know who saved him? I mean, I tried, and I had his feet and everything, but my hand slipped. I would like to know who did it so that I can thank them for saving him." This was too much for Brooke, and she went off on the girl as quietly as she could.
"Look, Ruth. Micah has been through a lot in the past few hours. He doesn't need you to come into the room at six am, and wake him up by screaming. He needs to sleep. By the way, yes. I DO know who saved him, and I can tell you for a fact that you're lying when you say that you had his foot but slipped." Ruth raised her brows in a way that said 'how would you know?' "How do I know this? Well, Ruth, it just so happens that I'm the one that saved him! You lie so that he'll like you, but let me tell you something. When you lie to someone like Micah, make sure that the lies play out. Make sure that there's no way he can see the truth in them. He deserves better. Now please leave. Come back in about an hour so that we can get up. Micah has expressed a desire to talk to the children in the morning. Do they think he's dead?" Ruth nodded. "Ok, don't tell them otherwise. He wants his return to be a surprise." The blonde girl turned to leave. "Oh, Ruth?" She turned back. "I'm sorry I was rude, but Micah does deserve to be told the truth, don't you agree?" Without an answer, She turned back and began another slow trip down the stairs.
Slipping quietly back into the room, Brooke looked at Micah again. She couldn't get over how young he looked sleeping on the bed with his hair all messy and his face slack. He rolled over so that he was sleeping on his back. Sighing, she realized that she would have no problem looking at that face for hours at a time. Standing up, she walked backwards to the chair, never taking her eyes off of Micah's sleeping form. As she sat down, she sighed again. If what he said were true, even if he liked her, he wouldn't be able to do anything. He Who Walks Behind the Rows had strict rules about dating and relationships. The pair had to be officially joined before anything could happen between them. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep again, not noticing the pair of eyes that watched her from across the room.
As she slept, Micah did his own amount of sighing and thought about many things as well. Brooke had handled Ruth well, and seemed to be a quick study. He didn't know what would become of their friendship, but that wasn't the most important thing to him. He had to focus on the children. Even though he wasn't the leader anymore, he would still be needed and looked up to. Closing his eyes, he thought about the faces of the children the next morning when they saw that he wasn't dead, that he was still alive. The thought he couldn't help, however, was the fact that Brooke's face kept popping up with the children's. He smiled, and fell asleep just as the sun came up over the horizon.